Category Archives: Consumer affairs

Is perfect the enemy of good?

Posted on 2018-11-10 by Ramsden

Recent experience in France and Greece and a comment last week by Charlie P on this site has prompted us to ask if it would be better if supporters of metric measures were less pedantic. Likes(7)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, Media | Tagged measurement units, metric, perfect_is_the_enemy_of_good, SI | 7 Comments

The new £50 note

Posted on 2018-11-02 by Ramsden

It was announced today that the new polymer £50 note will celebrate the UK’s achievements in science, and will feature a prominent British scientist. Nominations from the public are invited. Likes(8)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Science | Tagged 50poundnote, British scientists, metric, SI | 6 Comments

Style guide revisited

Posted on 2018-08-23 by Ramsden

The Measurements units style guide, published by UKMA in 2012, is now available on line with an index. In this article, we outline the purpose of the Guide and note recent enhancements. Likes(13)Dislikes(9)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, Media | Tagged Education, measurement units, metric, style-guide | 21 Comments

Vehicle fuel consumption – another muddle

Posted on 2018-08-16 by Ramsden

We look at vehicle fuel and energy consumption, and put some questions to owners of hybrid cars. Likes(13)Dislikes(7)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Technical, Transport | Tagged energy, fuel consumption, hybrid cars, L/100 km, mpg | 12 Comments

Isolationist or Imperialist?

Posted on 2018-07-05 by ronniec

On the eve of a showdown Cabinet meeting on Brexit, one of our frequent contributors, Ronnie Cohen, asks if British attitudes both to the EU and to this country’s metric changeover are part of the same mindset. Likes(19)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, History, Technical, Views from abroad | Tagged cakeism, EEC, EU, imperial, isolationist, metric | 6 Comments

Energy units – muddle in the making?

Posted on 2018-06-30 by Ramsden

It was decided early in the 1990s that the unit for pricing of domestic gas should change from the therm to the kilowatt hour, which is a metric unit but not SI. We ask if this made ‘metric sense’. Likes(19)Dislikes(1)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, History, Science | Tagged electricity prices, energy, gas prices, joule, kWh, therm | 1 Comment

Remembering a tenacious campaigner

Posted on 2018-06-14 by Ramsden

It is with sadness we report that Anne Attlee, leader of the Metric Sense Campaign for almost forty years, passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on 31 May 2018. Likes(16)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General | Tagged Anne Attlee, cm, metric changeover, Metric Sense campaign, mm | 12 Comments

Carry on muddling

Posted on 2018-05-25 by Ramsden

In these uncertain times, politicians are often keen to point out areas where Britain leads the world. We have a suggestion: creating a measurement muddle. Examples follow. Likes(23)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Media | Tagged acre, imperial measures, measurement muddle, metric | 25 Comments

Ignorance is bliss, or perhaps not

Posted on 2018-05-17 by Ramsden

One of our regular contributors, Jake, has drawn our attention to a story that recently appeared on the BBC web site. Likes(23)Dislikes(6)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, Health | Tagged alcohol, centilitre, communication, litre, NHS, unit of alcohol | 3 Comments

cm versus mm

Posted on 2018-05-11 by Ramsden

As the UK’s metric changeover drags on with no end in sight, we consider if the advantages of encouraging widespread use of the centimetre outweigh the risks. Likes(22)Dislikes(3)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, Media | Tagged centimetre, construction industry, metric, Metric Sense, millimetre, SI | 14 Comments